Chain Of Events

A door down the hall opened. "You fucking bitch!" A guy yelled as a scantly clad women in her late thirties stumbled backwards out into the hallway.

"It's not -"

"It's not what?" The guy yelled as he shoved the woman backwards again, getting dangerously close to the stairway. "What it looks like?" He asked her but never gave her a chance as he called her a fucking cunt. "I work my ass off to get you everything you want and you repay me by fucking everything that walks? I don't fucking think so Bitch!" He went for her again but was stopped by another guy, in his underwear, from the same room.

"Get the fuck off me!" The first guy took a swing at the second guy as he grabbed him off the woman. "I'll kill you!"

By this time another door opened down the hall - Anna's door.

Oh fuck, I thought as I saw her peek her head out the door. Are you stupid? Go back into....no! Don't come out! I watched Anna take a deep breath and start towards the two guys who were now throwing punches.

My only thought was to stop her; to make her go back to her room. I guess I was so focused on what Anna was doing, I didn't notice that the first guy had gotten away from the nearly naked guy and spotted me heading towards them. "Who the fuck are you?" He demanded, taking me by surprise, as he shoved me. "What? Are you here to fuck her too?" Turning towards the woman again, he called her a dirty fucking whore. "Who else are you fucking?"

This was getting out of hand, I could hear other guests in the hotel calling out for them to shut up and even a couple of them had poked their heads out of their doors. "Please go back into your rooms, this'll all be over soon."

"I called the police," one of the female guests, whose room was right next to the stairs, informed me as her male companion pulled her back into the room. "I also called to complain to the manager."

Just great, I thought.

"You called the police on me?" The irate man spun around and headed towards the room of the 'helpful' female guest. "You fucking little whore, how dare you call the police on me!" He screamed as he banged on their door. "Get out here Bitch!"

"Tanner, do something!" I heard Anna hiss.

"Just go back to your room," I told her as I headed over to the screaming guy. "Listen sir -"

I don't quite remember what was said or what exactly happened. I'm assuming he shoved me because all I really remember is hearing Anna scream my name as I tumbled backwards, down the stairs I was so worried about earlier.

Everything went black.

I don't know how much time passed since I took the flight down the stairs and the moment I came to and heard my brother giving Anna shit for what happened.

"What do you think I could've done Travis?"

"You were supposed to be watching out for him!" Travis snapped at her. "You got him this stupid job, the least you could do is make sure he came back in one piece."

"Came back...Travis he'll be ok, the doctor just told you that!"

"Whatever! Get outta my face, I'm done talking to you."

"What, are you two now?"

"Just....just go away Anna. Go away."

"No," she replied. "I'm staying right here until he wakes up so deal with it."

Travis mumbled something but I didn't quite make it out.

I fell back into the blackness again.

----

The sun was shining through the hospital blinds when I woke again. I needed something to drink but when I tried to roll onto my side to see if there was water around, every single muscle, joint and bone in my body seemed to cry out in pain.

My involuntary wince and the resulting groan must've gotten someone's attention because I heard a chair move. Not even a second later, Anna was peering down at me with concern written all over her face. "Tanner?" She reached out and gently touched my cheek. "Are you ok? Do you need something? Are you in pain?"

"Yes," I wanted to say more but I made the mistake of trying to nod my head at the same time. Stupid idea.

"Do you want me to get the nurse?"

"No...water."

"Ok, sure." She looked around and then told me that she would have to go get some. "I'll be right back," she said as she hurried out of the room.

In no time at all, she reappeared at my side with a small pitcher of ice water and a couple glasses. "The nurse said the doctor will be in soon to check you over and if he's happy with what he sees, you'll get to go home."

"Home?" I stared at her. "How? What about work?"

"Well..." She shrugged as he leaned over and slipping her hand under my head. "This is gonna be a little awkward," she warned me. "But it's the best way to do it...I think."

After a few frustrated sighs and a couple wet spots on my pillow, I managed to sip back enough water to satisfy the need for the moment.

"I'm sorry," she said out of the blue.

"For what?"

"Everything," she sighed and pulled her chair up to my bedside. "I feel that I should've been able to handle the situation without this happening."

"Anna, no. This isn't your fault. If anything it's mine for not thinking it through."

"Your brother is blaming me."

"My brother is a jackass sometimes," I chuckled and then groaned. "Listen, it's not your fault. And...wait a minute," I frowned. "What is Travis doing in the city?"

With a shrug, she told me that she didn't really know. "I got a call from the front desk around 6 last night, telling me that he was down in the lobby. He wanted to talk to you but when they told him you were busy with the banquet, he wanted to be let into your room to wait. They told him they couldn't do that and he got pissed so they called me."

"What did you do?" I asked cautiously, knowing full well they didn't get along the last time Travis showed up.

"I told him the same thing they told hm at the front desk, he told me I was being a bitch. I told him that bitch or not, I couldn't just let him in your room, I would have to talk to you. He told me to go fuck myself and I told him to grow up."

"And then you hung up?"

"Yeah," she chuckled. "I hung up, waited for ten minutes or so before I headed downstairs to see if he was still around or if they kicked him out."

She went on to tell me that he was still there, sitting in the lobby pouting. "Front desk told me that he said he was staying until you came out of the banquet and then they would all get it."

"Get it?" I laughed. "What exactly were they going to get?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "I figured he realized that he wasn't getting anywhere and didn't have anywhere else to go if he got booted out of the hotel. Anyway," she glanced over her shoulder and then continued. "I went to talk to him, he told me he was bored and wanted to know when you would be finished. I didn't know but he didn't like that at all; he wanted to go out to the bar."

"Did you tell him you'd call him a cab?"

Anna grinned, "I thought about it, I really did but no. I told him that he was out of luck, you were working so he'd either have to sit there all night waiting for you to finish or he could play some pool with me in the lounge."

"What?" I stared at her. "You offered to hang out with him?"

"Yes, I did."

"Why?"

"Because he's your brother?" She offered but I didn't believe that for one minute. "Fine," she sighed. "I offered to hang out with him because it got me away from having to deal with Scott."

It took little to no prompting for Anna to tell me that Scott had been bugging her. "I don't know what to do anymore," she told me. "I told him a long time ago that I wasn't interested in him like that and I thought that he got the message but it seems that he hasn't. Or maybe he refuses to believe that I'm not interested."

"So they rumors are true?"

"Rumors?" She sat up straight in the chair and stared at me. "What rumors?"

"The ones that are going around saying that Scott's relationship with Kim is on the rocks because he's hot for you. The grapevine says that Kim has given him an ultimatum, fire you or she's leaving."

"Oh my God!" She slumped back in her chair. "I should've known," she shook her head slowly. "It makes sense, the looks and comments...."

"I didn't do anything!" She exclaimed. "You have to believe me Tanner, I haven't done a damn thing to make that man think I'm looking for anything from him."

"You have a boyfriend," I stated.

"You're damn right I do!" She jumped out of her chair. "I have a boyfriend, who I love with all my heart." She was pacing, telling me all the great things about her relationship, how happy she was and how she wasn't about to ruin her relationship for something she didn't feel. "Scott can take this job and shove it if that's what he thinks is going to happen."

While Anna was in the middle of her ranting, I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. I thought it was just Travis so I didn't stop her but when she finished, the 'any suggestions on how I get it there?' let both of us know it wasn't Travis who overheard the conversation.